Rolling tool device

ABSTRACT

The present invention proposes a rolling tool device for compression rolling of, in particular, blade elements of a rotor area of a jet engine with a tool carrier to which two pliers-type bodies are rotatably connected, with the pliers-type bodies each being provided with a rolling area. A distance between the rolling areas is variable in dependence of a rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies. A separate spacer device is provided by means of which a minimum distance between the rolling areas can be defined.

This application claims priority to German Patent Application DE102012018604.5 filed Sep. 20, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

This invention relates to a rolling tool device.

Rolling tool devices provided for compression rolling of, in particular, blade elements of a rotor area of a jet engine are known from practice. These are usually provided with a tool carrier to which two pliers-type bodies are rotatably connected. The pliers-type bodies are each provided with a rolling area, with a distance between the rolling areas being variable in dependence of a rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies relative to the tool carrier. Such rolling tool devices, or pliers-type tools, respectively, enable blade elements, or thin-walled components, to be processed simultaneously from both sides of the thin-walled component by smooth rolling or compression rolling, respectively.

Blade elements are resolidified by compression rolling in order to enhance their resistance to foreign object damage and also vibratory loading by applying the rolling tool devices axially from the blade leading edge over the surfaces extending in the flow direction.

The rolling tool devices known from practice are however disadvantageous in that at the start of a machining operation, deformation of a blade leading edge can occur if a force acting on the blade leading edge is too large during an insertion movement of the rolling tool device.

The object underlying the present invention is to provide a rolling tool device, by means of which a deformation of a component to be processed, in particular during an insertion movement of the rolling tool device is reliably prevented.

It is a particular object to provide a solution to the above problems by a rolling tool device designed in accordance with the features described herein.

The rolling tool device according to the present invention for compression rolling of, in particular, blade elements of a rotor area of a jet engine is provided with a tool carrier, to which two pliers-type bodies are rotatably connected. The pliers-type bodies are each provided with a rolling area and a distance between the rolling areas is variable in dependence of the rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies. It is provided in accordance with the invention that there is a separate spacer device by means of which a minimum distance between the rolling areas can be defined.

The rolling tool device in accordance with the invention has the advantage that by defining a minimum distance between the rolling areas using the spacer device, deformation of a blade leading edge during machining of rotor areas is reliably avoided, while the introduction of forces to an undesired extent into the area of the blade leading edge is prevented. This results from the fact that by appropriate selection of the minimum distance, a front-most area of the blade leading edges facing towards an insertion movement of the rolling tool device is machined only slightly or not at all, and hence is not deformed and in the worst case damaged. Furthermore, a particularly consistent inducement of residual stresses and also a reduction in a resultant stress-induced distortion are achievable with the rolling tool device in accordance with the invention.

A further advantageous effect of the rolling tool device in accordance with the invention is that the provision of the spacer device makes it easy to prevent the rolling areas of the pliers-type bodies from coming into contact with one another prior to their engagement in the component, and to prevent a force acting between the rolling areas as a result of tolerances from exceeding a limit value, so that the rolling areas are not damaged.

The spacer device represents a separate component of the rolling tool device, which can accordingly be arranged and dimensioned regardless of further functions.

In a simple embodiment of a rolling tool device in accordance with the invention, a rod element of the spacer device is at one end firmly connected to a pliers-type body and at the other end loosely connected by a stop to the other pliers-type body. Alternatively to this, the rod element of the spacer device can also be coupled to a driving unit intended to impart a force and can limit its movement in order to set the minimum distance of the rolling areas. One end of the rod element is here in turn firmly connected to the driving unit and another end is moveably connected to the spacer device in the axial direction of the rod element.

The spacer device is, in a simply designed embodiment of the invention, provided with a rod which, to form the stop is passed through a holding element firmly connected to the pliers-type body or to the driving unit, for example through a hole in the holding element, and has a stop element which creates a minimum distance between the rolling areas due to interaction with the holding element.

To permit use of the rolling tool device for machining different components of various geometric designs, the minimum distance between the rolling areas is variable using the spacer device in an advantageous embodiment of the rolling tool device.

The minimum distance of the rolling areas can be set mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically, electrically, magnetically, thermically and/or chemically.

In a particularly simply designed rolling tool device according to the present invention, the minimum distance of the rolling areas is variable by means of a setting screw of the spacer device.

The spacer device can be arranged relative to the tool carrier on a side of a joint pivot bearing of the pliers-type bodies facing away from the rolling areas or towards the rolling areas. The greater a distance of the spacer device from the pivot bearing, the more precise a setting of the minimum distance is possible using the spacer device. When the spacer device is arranged in the vicinity of the pivot bearing, the minimum distance can be set with short adjustment distances, so that the minimum distance can be set for example using a piezo control.

In order to facilitate programming and subsequent implementation of the manufacturing programs on multi-axes machining centers as compared to rolling tool devices known from practical applications, in the embodiment of the rolling tool device according to the present invention an axis of the carrier spindle in the state connected to the tool carrier passes between the rolling areas through a contact point present at a distance between the rolling areas equal to zero, by which the axis of the carrier spindle and a contact line between the rolling tool device and a component to be processed are essentially congruent. Thus, in particular during the processing of free-form surfaces of a workpiece, alternating positional changes and permanently changing vectors resulting therefrom need not be taken into account when programming the production process.

In an advantageous embodiment of the rolling tool device according to the present invention the pliers-type bodies are rotatably designed relative to the tool carrier about a joint pivot bearing, with a distance between the rolling areas remaining constant during rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies about the joint pivot bearing. This ensures that—upon contact of the rolling areas with a preferably thin-walled component, such as a blade element of a rotor area of a jet engine—distortion of the component to be processed due to contact of the rolling areas is avoided. Additionally, the joint rotatability of the pliers-type bodies, and thus the rolling areas, enables areas of a free-form surface to be approached which would not be reachable without the joint rotatability of the pliers-type bodies.

If the pliers-type bodies are operatively connected to the tool carrier via piston elements by means of which the pliers-type bodies are rotatable relative to the tool carrier about the pivot bearing to a zero position defined relative to the tool carrier, the rolling tool device can be operated with low control effort since the zero position of the pliers-type bodies in each case is automatedly set relative to the tool carrier.

In an embodiment of the rolling tool device according to the present invention which likewise can be operated with low control effort, the pliers-type bodies are coupled to each other via the driving unit and the distance between the rolling areas is reducible in dependence of a driving unit-side rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies relative to each other.

In a simply designed and cost-effective embodiment of the rolling tool device according to the present invention, the driving unit is provided as a single-acting piston-cylinder unit.

To widen an application range of the rolling tool device in accordance with the invention, the driving unit, in particular a piston element of the driving unit, can be interchangeable. As a result, a force from the driving unit acting on the respective component can be optimally matched for the respective application to the respective component to be machined, or a defective piston element can be replaced by a new piston element.

If a resetting device is associated with the pliers-type bodies, through which a distance between the rolling areas can be changed by rotating the pliers-type bodies on the side of the resetting device relative to each other in the direction of a maximum value, engagement between the rolling areas of the rolling tool device and the respective component to be processed can be dispensed with as desired.

If the rolling areas can be connected to the pliers-type bodies using adapter elements, preferably varying radial engagement depths due to differently designed adapter elements and also to varying rolling forces for the respective component to be machined can be achieved using the rolling tool device with little design effort and at low expense.

The adapter elements are preferably interchangeably connectable to the pliers-type bodies, so that adapter elements optimized for the respective application can be connected in turn to the pliers-type bodies. In particular, if both the adapter elements and the driving unit, in particular a piston element of the driving unit, are interchangeable, an optimum combination for generating the forces required for the respective application can be obtained in the rolling areas.

To permit machining in poorly accessible areas of blade elements too, the pliers-type bodies, in particular the adapter elements in the zone of the rolling areas, can each be designed with one part, where main axes of the parts have an extension component in the direction of a rotary axis of the pivot bearing. As a result, even complex-shaped components, in particular blade elements of rotor areas of jet engines or areas of these components not machinable with conventional rolling tool devices, can be compression rolled. This results from the fact that an insertion of the rolling tool device into blade elements of the rotor area is easily possible due to the parts of the pliers-type bodies having an extension component in the direction of the rotary axis of the pivot bearing. An inclination of the parts in the direction of the rotary axis in particular matches an insertion direction of the rolling tool device into the blade elements and is selected such that insertion of the rolling tool device is readily possible. The parts are designed in the zone of the rolling areas in particular with a bar, cylinder or tube shape or the like, with a main axis corresponding to a center axis of the parts when the parts are designed symmetrically.

The use of the rolling tool device in accordance with the invention is particularly advantageous for machining multi-stage rotor areas in blisk design, in which areas of blade elements, in particular blade leading edges and blade trailing edges, of a second, third or following stage of the rotor area are also to be machined. The part of the pliers-type bodies can have a required length and be designed either straight or curved, with the respective shape and size of the further part being selectable depending on the respective component to be machined.

In an advantageous embodiment of a rolling tool device in accordance with the invention, the parts extend substantially in the direction of the rotary axis of the pivot bearing. As a result, an insertion of the rolling tool device in the axial direction of the rotor area is advantageously possible for the machining of leading edges and trailing edges of the blade elements, without a part of the pliers-type bodies that extends in the longitudinal direction or in the extension direction of the pliers-type bodies in the zone of the rolling areas being able to hinder insertion of the rolling tool device into the blade elements. The part of the pliers-type bodies can also be designed curved.

In a simply designed embodiment of a rolling tool device in accordance with the invention, the pliers-type bodies and the adapter elements, respectively, have a further part which, in the direction of the rotary axis of the pivot bearing, is arranged at a distance to axes passing through a machining point of the rolling areas and parallel to an axis of a carrier spindle in the state connected to the tool carrier. Due to the arrangement of the further part of the pliers-type bodies and the adapter elements, respectively, offset relative to the axis of the carrier spindle, an axial insertion movement of the rolling tool device into a component to be machined is not hindered. The further part of the pliers-type bodies can have a distance to the axis of the carrier spindle as required depending on the component to be machined.

In a rolling tool device that can easily be manufactured, the further part of the pliers-type bodies can in particular run substantially parallel to the axis of the carrier spindle.

Due to an angled or U-shaped design, for example, of the pliers-type bodies and the adapter elements, respectively, engagement for axial machining of a blade leading edge and a blade trailing edge, in particular of multi-stage rotor areas in blisk design, is made possible in a simple manner. In addition, easy programming can be achieved by this design of the adapter elements with corresponding arrangement of the rolling areas.

If the rolling areas include a ball element each, point contact exists between the rolling areas and the respective component to be processed, by which high surface pressure is attainable with comparatively low forces and, thus, high residual stress, with at the same time high surface finish, is impartable to surface-near areas of the component to be processed. An interchangeable arrangement of the ball elements at the rolling areas permits a simple change of the ball elements, if they are for example worn.

Both the features cited in the patent Claims and the features specified in the following exemplary embodiments of the rolling tool device in accordance with the present invention are, alone or in any combination, capable of further developing the subject matter of the present invention. The respective combinations of features are in no way limiting the development of the subject matter of the present invention, but essentially have only exemplary character.

Further advantages and advantageous embodiments of the subject matter of the present invention become apparent from the patent Claims and the exemplary embodiments schematically described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing,

FIG. 1 shows a highly schematized longitudinal sectional view of a jet engine provided with a one-piece rotor area,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged individual representation of a blade element of the one-piece rotor area as per FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a rolling tool device,

FIG. 4 shows a highly schematized view of an alternatively designed rolling tool device, and

FIG. 5 shows a highly schematized representation of the rolling tool device of FIG. 4 in a view rotated by 90°.

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a jet engine 1 provided with a bypass duct 2. The jet engine 1 is furthermore provided with an inlet area 3 downstream of which a fan 4 is arranged in a manner known per se. Again downstream of the fan 4, the fluid flow in the jet engine 1 divides into a bypass flow and a core flow, with the bypass flow passing through the bypass duct 2 and the core flow into an engine core 5 which, again in a manner known per se, is provided with a compressor arrangement 6, a burner 7 and a turbine arrangement 8.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged individual view of a one-piece rotor area 9 of the compressor arrangement 6. The one-piece rotor area 9 includes an annular base body 10 and several circumferentially distributed blade elements 11 extending essentially radially from the base body 10.

The one-piece rotor area 9 is a so-called blisk, i.e. an integrally bladed rotor design. The term blisk is composed of the words “blade” and “disk”. The disk or, respectively, the annular base body 10 and the blade elements 11 are made in one-piece, removing the need for blade roots and disk slots provided on multi-piece rotor areas. The one-piece rotor area 9 is distinct from conventionally bladed compressor rotors by a significant decrease in the number of components and the disk shape of the annular base body 10 is designed for lower rim loads. In combination with the use of lighter materials, this results in a weight saving of the one-piece rotor area 9 of up to 50 percent compared with conventional rotor areas. The amount of weight saving is in each case dependent on the geometry of the compressor arrangement 6.

A compressor arrangement 6 or a respective one-piece rotor area 9 with resistance to foreign object damage and also vibratory loading, while at the same time keeping the weight low, is created, when residual stresses are imparted to the blade elements 11 in surface-near areas by way of compression rolling using a rolling tool device 14 or a rolling tool, respectively, radially engaging in each case between the blade elements 11 and further shown in FIG. 3, with a surface area of each blade element, in particular the entire surface of each blade element 11 being compression rolled in each case. Additionally, the transitional areas 12, or fillets, respectively, between the surfaces of the blade elements 11 and a surface 13 of the base body 10 between the blade elements 11 can also be compression rolled by means of a so-called one-finger rolling tool not further shown in the drawing. Furthermore, the surface 13 or, respectively, the annulus of the base body 10 between the blade elements 11 is preferably also compression rolled by means of a one-finger rolling tool.

Compression rolling of surfaces of the longitudinal sides and the edges of the blade elements 11, the transitional areas 12 and the surface 13 of the base body 10 in each case solidifies surface-near areas of the one-piece rotor area 9 by increasing dislocation density and hardens the surface layer of the rotor area 9. Hardening the surface layer reduces the risk of cracking resulting from foreign object damage and vibratory loading. Moreover, the residual compressive stresses imparted by compression rolling into the material in the zone of the rotor area 9 counteract crack propagation after crack formation, thereby positively influencing fatigue strength and, thus, improving the service life of the jet engine 1.

Compression rolling provides the one-piece rotor area 9 with high surface finish and low surface roughness, thereby positively influencing the aerodynamic quality of the blade elements 11 and of the entire rotor area 9 without the need for a further surface smoothening process to be performed subsequently to the solidification process.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a rolling tool 14 for compression rolling of the longitudinal sides or, respectively, the entire surface of the blade elements 11 of the rotor area 9. The rolling tool 14 includes a tool carrier 15, which can be connected to a carrier spindle 16 of a machine tool to the extent shown. Two pliers-type bodies 17, 18 of the rolling tool 14 are rotatably connected to the tool carrier 15 in the area of a pivot bearing 19, with the pliers-type bodies 17, 18 being coupled via a driving unit 20 provided here as single-acting piston-cylinder unit and a distance between rolling areas 21, 22 being reduced in dependence of a driving unit-side rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 about the pivot bearing 19.

For this, the driving unit 20 is subject to hydraulic pressure and a piston element 23, by the hydraulic pressure acting on it, is extended from a cylinder element 24 of the driving unit 20, with a distance between the ends 25 and 26 of the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 facing away from the rolling areas 21 and 22 being increased during such a change of the operating state of the driving unit 20, while the distance between the rolling areas 21 and 22 is decreased according to the geometric situation in dependence of the rotary movement of the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 about the pivot bearing 19. The pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 are each rotatably connected to the driving unit 20 in the area of their ends 25 and 26.

Furthermore, the two pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 are additionally rotatably attached to the tool carrier 15 about the pivot bearing 19 around a rotary axis 27 vertically aligned to the drawing plane to enable the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 to be swivelled upon contact of the rolling areas 21 and 22 with a blade element 11 and avoid distortion of the blade elements 11 resulting from the contact of the rolling areas 21 and 22 with the blade element. During joint rotation of the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 about the pivot bearing 19 relative to the tool carrier 15, a distance between the rolling areas 21 and 22 remains constant. Joint rotatability of the two pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 about the pivot bearing 19 further ensures that the blade elements 11, each of which being provided with a blade profile, can be compression rolled on their entire surface using the rolling tool 14.

The pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 are operatively connected to the tool carrier 15 via piston elements 28 and 29, with the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 being reset by the piston elements 28 and 29 relative to the tool carrier 15 about the pivot bearing 19 to a zero position defined relative to the tool carrier 15 and shown in FIG. 3, when a rotating force jointly rotating the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 about the pivot bearing 19 is essentially zero.

Via a resetting device 32, here including two spring-action devices 30 and 31 and associated to the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18, a distance between the rolling areas 21 and 22 can be changed in the direction of a maximum value by rotating the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 on the side of the resetting device.

Each of the rolling areas 21 and 22 here includes a ball element 33, 34 detachably retained in holding areas 35, 36, and thus being replaceable, and subjectable to hydraulic pressure in a manner known per se to enable the rolling force required in each case to be applied to the blade elements 11 via the ball elements 33 and 34. The holding areas 35 and 36 are here inserted into adapter elements 37 and 38 which are at least approximately provided with a finger-type design and are firmly threadedly connected to the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18, and preferably connected to said adapter elements by means of grub screws.

The adapter elements 37 and 38 are each interchangeably connected to the pliers-type bodies 17, 18, with the rolling tool 14 providing for various engagement depths in the radial and/or the axial direction between the blade elements 11, depending on the shape of the adapter elements 37, 38. Moreover, adapter elements 37 and 38 designed with respect to the transmittable pressure or rolling force, respectively, are connectable to the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18, with thinner adapter elements being insertable into narrower areas between the blade elements 11. Here, lower rolling or pressure forces, respectively, are applied to thinner blade elements 11 with more slender adapter elements 37 and 38, with the adapter elements 37 and 38 then having a certain elasticity and the maximum rolling force being limited by the elasticity of the adapter elements 37 and 38.

Full solidification of the blade elements 11 during compression rolling is avoidable by limiting the maximum rolling force, with excessive pressure loading during compression rolling producing a compressive stress maximum in the center area of the blade elements 11 which promotes crack formation from the inside under vibratory loading. This, however, is undesirable as it affects the service life of the blade elements 11.

The rolling force imparted in each case to the rotor area during compression rolling is variable to the desired extent at each location of a blade element 11 and also in the transitional areas 12 and the remaining surface 13 of the base body 10 by controlling the hydraulic pressure applied to the rolling areas 21, 22 via a pressure control unit not further shown in the drawing, thereby enabling the rotor area 9 to be solidified to the desired extent by producing the optimum residual compressive stresses required at each location of the rotor area 9 and an improvement to be obtained with regard to the durability of the blades.

In order to facilitate, for example, CAD-CAM programming upstream of a compression rolling process using the rolling tool 14 and subsequent implementation of the manufacturing programs on a multi-axes machining center by means of a post processor, an axis 39 of the carrier spindle 16 in the operating state connected to the tool carrier 15 passes between the rolling areas 21 and 22 through a contact point present at a distance between the rolling areas 21 and 22 equal to zero. Thus, the axis or the spindle carrier axis 29, respectively, and an axis through the contact point between the rolling areas 21 and 22 are congruent, thereby substantially facilitating programming of the rolling process.

The rolling tool 14 enables integrally bladed disks and rotors of jet engines to be compression rolled at low cost. The rapid and easy exchange of the adapter elements 37 and 38 qualifies the rolling tool 14 with low setup times for use with rotor areas having different geometry, with differing engagement depths between blade elements as well as differing processing forces during the rolling process being realizable on differently conceived components with high safety and process capability.

The pliers-type design of the rolling tool 14 enables blade elements or airfoils, respectively, of one-piece rotor areas to be processed from the tip to the fillet, with simultaneous compression rolling of the pressure and suction sides of blade elements being provided to avoid distortion due to the process.

In addition, various individual tools enable the fillets or the transitional areas, respectively, between the surface of the blade elements and the surface of the base body between the blade elements on the suction and pressure side to be processed to the desired extent. Moreover, the surface of the base body between the blade elements or the annulus, respectively, can be compression rolled by means of an individual tool.

Damage of the blade elements 11 to be machined and of the rolling tool 14 proper can be prevented in the embodiment shown by the provision of a spacer device 40, by means of which a minimum distance can be fixed mechanically between the rolling areas 21 and 22.

The spacer device 40 here has two holding elements 41 and 42, of which one holding element 41 is firmly connected to the driving unit 20 in an area of the driving unit 20 facing towards the pliers-type body 17, and one holding element 42 is firmly connected to the driving unit 20 in an area of the driving unit 20 facing towards the pliers-type body 18. Each holding element 41 and 42 has in the present invention a hole through which a rod 43 of the spacer device 40 is passed.

The rod 43 is firmly connected at one end to the holding element 42, i.e. immovable in the axial direction of the rod 43, with the rod 43 for example being screwed into a thread of the holding element 42 and locked using a grub screw 46 in the axial direction of the rod 43. At the other end, the rod 43 is passed through the hole of the holding element 41 which guides the rod 43. On a side of the holding element 41 facing away from the holding element 42, the rod 43 is provided with a thread 44 on which is arranged a setting screw 45 which can be fixed in an exact position, for example by means of lock nut. The setting screw 45 has a larger diameter than the hole in the holding element 41, so that a movement of the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 above the rotating point 19 in directions opposite to one another is limited when the setting screw 45 comes into contact with the holding element 41 during a movement of the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 by the driving unit 20. Accordingly, the spacer device 40 determines a minimum distance of the rolling areas 21 and 22 and of the ball elements 33 and 34 respectively from one another. This prevents in a simple manner that the ball elements 33 and 34 come into contact with one another prior to insertion of the rolling tool device 14 into the blade elements 11, or come into contact so hard that they are damaged.

On the other hand, it is possible using the spacer device 40 to prevent, during insertion of the rolling tool device 14 into the blade elements 11 to be machined, a force acting on a blade leading edge from deforming the blade leading edge and from affecting the mechanical properties of this blade leading edge to an undesired extent. The risk of deformation of the blade leading edge is generally speaking relatively high solely for the reasons that it is very thin and can be deformed even by low forces acting on it. By means of the spacer device 40, a minimum distance of the ball elements 33 and 34 is for example selectable such that an area of the blade leading edges of the blade elements 11 remains unmachined during a compression rolling operation.

The setting screw 45 can be fixed in various positions of the thread 44 of the rod 43, so that depending on the blade elements 11 to be machined a minimum distance between the ball elements 33 and 34 can be adapted to the respective application.

The spacer device 40 has here a large distance to the rotating point 19, so that an advantageously precise setting of the minimum distance of the ball elements 33 and 34 can be achieved.

Basically, the rolling tool 14 can be integrated into any known machining center. In contrast to resolidification by shot peening, there is no need to procure expensive facilities. The rolling tool 14 enables resolidification to be performed, for example, in conventional milling centers. The milling centers are equipped with the rolling tool 14 and the surfaces of one-piece rotor areas are processed using the compression rolling tool 14 in the area of their surfaces analogically to milling.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a greatly simplified and alternatively designed rolling tool device 50, which in respect of the elements not described in detail is designed substantially identical to the rolling tool device 14.

The rolling tool device 50 has alternatively designed adapter elements 51, which in the view in FIG. 5, rotated by 90° relative to FIG. 4, each have a cross-section, here substantially U-shaped, with a first part 54, a second part 55 and a third part 53. The first parts 54 extend substantially in the direction of the rotary axis 27 and are used for arrangement of the adapter elements 51 and 52 on the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 shown only in greatly simplified form in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. The second parts 55 are arranged substantially parallel to the first parts 54, but offset in a direction facing away from the pliers-type bodies 17 and 18 relative to the first parts 54. Ball elements 56 and 57 of the rolling tool device 50 are arranged on the second parts 55 of the adapter elements 51 and 52, said ball elements being arranged comparably to the ball elements 33 and 34 of the rolling tool device 14, i.e. on the axis 39, in respect of their position relative to said axis 39.

Both the first parts 54 and the second parts 55 in the embodiment shown run preferably in a direction corresponding to the direction of insertion of the rolling tool device 50 into the blade elements 11, said direction substantially also corresponding to an axis direction of the rotor area 9.

The first parts 54 and the second parts 55 of the adapter elements 51 and 52 are connected by the third parts 53, with the latter—in the view according to FIG. 5—running substantially parallel to the axis 39 and being arranged offset thereto and completely outside it. In the present invention, the parts 55 are designed substantially bar-shaped with a main axis 62 corresponding to a center axis of the parts 55 and here running parallel to the rotary axis 27. The third parts 53 are at a distance from axes 58 and 59, which run parallel to the axis 39 through machining points 60 and 61 of the ball elements 56 and 57, respectively.

Various designs of the adapter elements 51 and 52 can be provided, in which an area of the adapter elements 51 and 52 is arranged offset relative to the axis 39. For example, the adapter elements can have an arched or semi-circular area, with the respective shape of the adapter elements 51 and 52 being selected such that in particular an axial engagement in blade elements 11 is possible to the required extent for machining blade leading edges and blade trailing edges preferably in multi-stage rotors in blisk design. Engagement in areas of blade elements 11 poorly accessible with conventionally shaped adapter elements is greatly simplified or only made possible by the rolling tool device 50 with the adapter elements 51 and 52, since the arrangement in particular of the third parts 53 of the adapter elements 51 and 52 does not hinder axial insertion of the rolling tool device 50 into the blade elements 11. The greater a distance A of the third parts 53 of the adapter elements 51 and 52 from the axis 39, the deeper the engagements into the blade elements 11 that can be achieved when the rolling tool device 50 is inserted in the axial direction of the rotor area 9.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 Jet engine -   2 Bypass duct -   3 Inlet area -   4 Fan -   5 Engine core -   6 Compressor arrangement -   7 Burner -   8 Turbine arrangement -   9 One-piece rotor area -   10 Annular base body -   11 Blade element -   12 Transitional area -   13 Surface of the base body -   14 Rolling tool -   15 Tool carrier -   16 Carrier spindle -   17, 18 Pliers-type body -   19 Pivot bearing -   20 Driving unit -   21, 22 Rolling area -   23 Piston element -   24 Cylinder element -   25 End of pliers-type body 17 -   26 End of pliers-type body 18 -   27 Rotary axis -   28, 29 Piston element -   30, 31 Spring-action device -   32 Resetting device -   33, 34 Ball element -   35, 36 Holding area -   37, 38 Adapter element -   39 Axis -   40 Spacer device -   41, 42 Holding element -   43 Rod -   44 Thread -   45 Setting screw -   46 Grub screw -   50 Rolling tool device -   51, 52 Adapter element -   53 Third part of adapter elements -   54 First part of adapter elements -   55 Second part of adapter elements -   56, 57 Ball element -   58, 59 Axis -   60, 61 Machining point -   62 Main axis of the second part -   A Distance 

What is claimed is:
 1. A rolling tool device for compression rolling blade elements of a rotor area of a jet engine, comprising: a tool carrier which is connectable to a carrier spindle of a machine tool; a pliers mechanism including two lever arms connected to the tool carrier to be rotatable with respect to each other; a rolling area connected to each lever arm, with a distance between the two rolling areas being variable in dependence on a relative rotary movement between the two lever arms a driving unit connected to at least one of the lever arms for moving the at least one of the lever arms to alter the distance between the two rolling areas; a spacer device separate from the driving unit and connected to the at least one of the lever arms, the spacer device including a first element and a holding element, one of the first element and the holding element connected to the at least one of the lever arms and the other of the first element and the holding element connected to at least one chosen from the tool carrier and the other of the lever arms; the first element and the holding element positioned with respect to each other to form 1) a movement range where the first element and the holding element can move with respect to one another to allow the distance between the two rolling areas to be altered by the driving unit and 2) a stop position where one of the first element and the holding element limits further movement of the other of the first element and the fixed element to limit further reduction in the distance between the two rolling areas and thereby provide a minimum distance between the two rolling areas.
 2. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first element includes a rod with a stop element positioned at one end of the rod, and the holding element includes a bore through which the rod passes, the stop element engaging the holding element, directly or indirectly, at an end of the movement range to prevent further movement of the rod with respect to the holding element in one direction.
 3. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 2, wherein, at least one chosen from the rod, the stop element and the holding element is adjustable to vary the minimum distance between the rolling areas.
 4. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim f, wherein, at least one chosen from the rod, the stop element and the holding element includes a threaded adjusting element for varying the movement range to vary the minimum distance between the rolling areas.
 5. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising a pivot bearing connected to the tool carrier and rotatably mounting the two lever arms, wherein the spacer device is arranged relative to the tool carrier on a side of the pivot bearing facing away from the rolling areas.
 6. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, wherein, when the tool carrier is connectable to a carrier spindle, an axis of the carrier spindle passes between the rolling areas through a contact point present when the distance between the rolling areas is equal to zero.
 7. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes a single-acting piston-cylinder unit.
 8. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the driving unit is interchangeable.
 9. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising adapter elements connecting the rolling areas to the lever arms.
 10. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the adapter elements are interchangeably connectable to the lever arms.
 11. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising: a pivot bearing connected to the tool carrier and rotatably mounting the two lever arms, a part connecting each rolling area to a respective lever arm, wherein each part includes a portion where a main axis of the portion includes an extension component in a direction of a rotary axis of the pivot bearing.
 12. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rolling areas each include a ball element that is exchangeable.
 13. The rolling tool device in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising a pivot bearing connected to the tool carrier and rotatably mounting the two lever arms, wherein the spacer device is arranged relative to the tool carrier on a side of the pivot bearing facing toward the rolling areas. 